We get most of the Newcastle media – namely television and the Newcastle Herald. Not so much radio, depending on how good your car or home aerial is.

Can you spot where the influences are? The Upper Hunter was then, and is now, a target market for any professional sports team. In my case, it’s the Newcastle Knights and the Newcastle United Jets, and when they did exist, the Newcastle Falcons and Hunter Pirates.

Now, not everyone did what I did, and that’s their prerogative. I respect that.

I’ve put up with the crap that both teams have had to put their supporters through – ownership debacles, wooden spoons, player and coach scandals, you name it. But I’ve also had the good times – namely the Knights wins in 1997 and 2001 and the Jets in 2008.

Kids need to realise that loyalty is a good attribute to have. And following a sporting team is a really good way of testing that.

Where I live is within Wests Tigers territory, in fact, the Magpies were born in Ashfield. Where I work is in South Sydney territory, although we’re across the road from Henson Park, home to every hipster’s favourite team, the Newtown Jets. And as for the A-League – I think I’m on the border line between $ydney FC and the Wannabe-Ultras. This is what I live with.

And you may be wondering – but why do you proudly proclaim that you’re a Kings member? Simple, although it was a tough decision to make. The NBL hasn’t got Newcastle on its radar for expansion. No one wants to pony up the cash for a Newcastle NBL team. I love the game and it’s been a long time since anyone has managed to get me back into it in a major way. I can’t see the Falcons being reborn like the Bullets were.

But with loyality being about as frail as a china shop with a bull in its vincity, kids will sadly swap teams like they change their clothes. If there is one piece of advice I would give kids, aside from not swearing every 2nd word (are you reading year 12?), it’s that loyality is a good thing to build.

by ]]>http://bigdanonline.com/sports/why-loyalty-does-matter-kids/feed/0Songs I Love – Stylehttp://bigdanonline.com/music-2/songs-i-love-style/
http://bigdanonline.com/music-2/songs-i-love-style/#respondWed, 01 Jul 2015 12:09:22 +0000http://bigdanonline.com/?p=303I mentioned a few days ago (maybe yesterday) that there was two songs that you could say would be the soundtrack of the first six months of this year.

This is the other song – believe it or not, it’s a Taylor Swift song. But it’s not Bad Blood. It’s a much more nuanced song. Yes, I know it’s about one of Taylor’s many, MANY flings, but there’s something about this song that just sticks in my mind. A earworm, as it were.

And the video clip itself – I think it’s a lot better than Bad Blood. Very stylish, and dare I say it, sexy.

Midnight, you come and pick me up
No headlights
Long drive, could end in burning flames or paradise
Fade into view, it’s been a while since I have even heard from you
I should just tell you to leave cause I
Know exactly where it leads but I
Watch us go round and round each time

You got that James Dean day dream look in your eye
And I got that red lip classic thing that you like
And when we go crashing down, we come back every time.
Cause we never go out of style
We never go out of style

You got that long hair, slicked back, white t-shirt.
And I got that good girl faith and a tight little skirt,
And when we go crashing down, we come back every time.
Cause we never go out of style
We never go out of style.

So it goes
He can’t keep his wild eyes on the road
Takes me home
Lights are off, he’s taking off his coat
I say I heard that you been out and about with some other girl
Some other girl
He says, what you’ve heard it’s true but I
Can’t stop thinking about you and I
I said I’ve been there too a few times

Cause You got that James Dean day dream look in your eye
And I got that red lip classic thing that you like
And when we go crashing down, we come back every time.
Cause we never go out of style
We never go out of style

You got that long hair, slicked back, white t-shirt.
And I got that good girl faith and a tight little skirt,
And when we go crashing down, we come back every time.
Cause we never go out of style
We never go out of style.

Take me home
Just take me home
Just take me home

You got that James Dean day dream look in your eye
And I got that red lip classic thing that you like
And when we go crashing down, we come back every time.
Cause we never go out of style
We never go out of style

by ]]>http://bigdanonline.com/music-2/songs-i-love-style/feed/0Songs I Love – Stayin’ Alivehttp://bigdanonline.com/entertainment/music/songs-i-love-stayin-alive/
http://bigdanonline.com/entertainment/music/songs-i-love-stayin-alive/#respondTue, 30 Jun 2015 12:52:51 +0000http://bigdanonline.com/?p=299IF there is one song that seems to sum up the way I’m feeling this year, well, at least one song, there are others, this is one of them.

And yes, it’s an oldie. But damn, it’s a goodie. So, like Bart Simpson, John Travolta and anyone who happens to be listening to this….strut!

Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk,I’m a woman’s man: no time to talk.Music loud and women warm, I’ve been kicked aroundSince I was born.And now it’s all right. It’s OK.And you may look the other way.We can try to understandThe New York Times’ effect on man.

Well now, I get low and I get high,And if I can’t get either, I really try.Got the wings of heaven on my shoes.I’m a dancin’ man and I just can’t lose.You know it’s all right. It’s OK.I’ll live to see another day.We can try to understandThe New York Times’ effect on man.

Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk,I’m a woman’s man: no time to talk.Music loud and women warm,I’ve been kicked around since I was born.And now it’s all right. It’s OK.And you may look the other way.We can try to understandThe New York Times’ effect on man.

by ]]>http://bigdanonline.com/entertainment/music/songs-i-love-stayin-alive/feed/0The House of Palmerhttp://bigdanonline.com/redbubble/the-house-of-palmer/
http://bigdanonline.com/redbubble/the-house-of-palmer/#respondSun, 24 May 2015 07:55:24 +0000http://bigdanonline.com/?p=283For reasons that elude me, I’ve gone into t-shirt design via my own little shop at RedBubble. Well, not so much t-shirt design, but mugs, cushions, phone covers, etc…

You’ll find:

– Old radio, TV and film logos
– Designs based on shows like If You Are The One, Good News Week, Fat Pizza and Swift and Shift Couriers
– The odd Knights and Jets related shirt
– Mean Machine “jerseys”

Some of my latest designs can be found below (dynamically generated)

by ]]>http://bigdanonline.com/redbubble/the-house-of-palmer/feed/0Food for Thought: why was Hoyts trying to scare me as a child?http://bigdanonline.com/entertainment/food-for-thought-why-was-hoyts-trying-to-scare-me-as-a-child/
http://bigdanonline.com/entertainment/food-for-thought-why-was-hoyts-trying-to-scare-me-as-a-child/#respondTue, 21 Apr 2015 11:40:50 +0000http://bigdanonline.com/?p=243Something to think about…

Back in the early 1990s, when I was a little kid, sometimes this brief 5 second clip would scare me to death, especially if it was early in the morning and Mum or Dad had left the TV on in the lounge room.

This was the distribution arm of Australian cinema chain Hoyts, which, at that time, had its hand in several pies. Hoyts released films from the likes of Cannon Films, and several independent companies not catered for by the big studios and Roadshow.
That end clip was derived from the ads promoting its associated cinema chain, using the slogan “Now You’re Really Seeing Things”.

My question is….WHY DID THEY DO IT LIKE THAT? I’m sure there are plenty of other people who are scared witless by that logo….even to this day.

by ]]>http://bigdanonline.com/entertainment/food-for-thought-why-was-hoyts-trying-to-scare-me-as-a-child/feed/0The Hungriest 100http://bigdanonline.com/entertainment/the-hungriest-100/
http://bigdanonline.com/entertainment/the-hungriest-100/#respondMon, 26 Jan 2015 11:40:23 +0000http://bigdanonline.com/?p=231This is a much better version of the Hipster 100 – the Big Dan Hungriest 100! All the tracks I’ve listened to on Last.fm in the past 12 months. And I think it’s got a better variety than Triple J ever will have.

by ]]>http://bigdanonline.com/entertainment/the-hungriest-100/feed/0I hope Taylor Swift wins the Hipster 100http://bigdanonline.com/entertainment/i-hope-taylor-swift-wins-the-hipster-100/
http://bigdanonline.com/entertainment/i-hope-taylor-swift-wins-the-hipster-100/#respondWed, 21 Jan 2015 09:19:46 +0000http://bigdanonline.com/?p=209There’s been a lot of hullabaloo over the so called invasion of Taylor Swift into Triple J’s Hipster 100 (I’m not calling it the Hottest 100 – since that term is rather subjective, and I’ll explain why later) and the hipsters getting all shirty over it. The average Triple J listener is rather snobbish in their tastes – like denying the simple pleasures of a catchy bubblegum pop hit.

Now, I’ll admit it, I’m not the biggest Tay Tay fan. But I’m not going to crack it over her winning what is meant to be a democratic poll. Folks, this is democracy defined. If you don’t want her to win, it’s quite simple. Stuff the ballot box – vote for artists and songs you want to win. It’s really quite simple.

I hope she does win. Won’t that be hilarious! Sadly, I can see them riot over this for no good reason. But then again, it’s their own dumb fault. I hope they take that sort of enthusiasm over into other much more worthwhile causes.

The Bondi Hipsters raise some good points, but to be honest, I don’t find them that funny, or appealing. But that’s your choice. Also, it seems to be a plug for their TV show on the ABC. Make of that what you will.

It also raises are few more issues in my mind:

I refuse to call it the Hottest 100, as it is the Hottest 100 according to a certain subset of the population, whose tastes are quite defined. The Hipster 100 is the list for those who think they’re all that and a bag of chips. A true Hottest 100 would have polled the entire population and accepted any and all tunes regardless of genre. I used to hang out for the “Hottest 100″…but now, like most modern music. It’s crap.

I believe Triple J needs to be available to ALL Australians via terrestrial radio (aka FM radio in cars, etc), not just streaming (which should be unmetered as per law) and to areas above a certain population. We pay for it through taxes – if they’re not going to do that, then shut it down. I’d be happy with shutting it down. I couldn’t get it in Scone, I can’t get it in Young, why should we be excluded? We pay taxes…

by ]]>http://bigdanonline.com/entertainment/i-hope-taylor-swift-wins-the-hipster-100/feed/0Big Dan’s Excellent Adventures……in Sydneyhttp://bigdanonline.com/my-life/big-dans-excellent-adventures-in-sydney/
http://bigdanonline.com/my-life/big-dans-excellent-adventures-in-sydney/#respondSat, 10 Jan 2015 02:48:46 +0000http://bigdanonline.com/?p=189I went down to Sydney for the first day of the 4th cricket test match between Australia and India, and having gotten there a day early, decided to check out some of the sites, including ones I hadn’t visited since I was a kid. Thank you free coupons!

First off, I visited the Sydney Aquarium – somewhere I haven’t been in nearly 20 years! Since I was there, it has been through several hands, and now owned by Merlin Amusements. I’ve gotta say, it’s certainly changed! But at least the good bits are still there – the underwater tunnel and the touch pool.

Next up was my trip to Madame Tussauds Sydney – which was interesting all in its own. The models were quite life like and durable too, given the amount of people who kept on touching them. Including yours truly.

After a brief walk from Darling Harbour into the main CBD, came a trip up the Sydney Tower Eye – otherwise known as Centrepoint Tower (that’s what it was back 20 years ago!) They’ve added a few new bits and pieces, including a 4D Cinema Experience – the 4D coming from the bits of water, steam and moving floor you’re subjected to during the presentation. But the pièce de résistance was definitely the gorgeous views around Sydney.

After a session of stuffing myself with Pizza Hut all-you-can-eat (they still exist people!) and my first ever trip to Gold Class Cinemas at Event Cinemas George Street (that’s later on), a well earned sleep in preparation for the 1st day of the 4th cricket test between the Aussies and India. I’ve been meaning to go to the cricket for a long time, and figured now would be a good time. I got a ticket in the Aussie Army section – usually the nosiest and enjoyable part of the ground to sit in. It was rather humid, and I was sweating big time. Surprinsgly, I didn’t get sunburnt in the usual places, my face and arms. I get did small burns to my hands and my legs – and not all over them either. Rather weird.

There were several highlights, of course being the excellent batting performances from David Warner, Chris Rogers, Shane Watson and captain Steve Smith, who’s proven himself to be leadership material this summer. But for me, the other highlights included the effort from a young lady in skolling not one, but two cups of beer from her shoe – that’s right, her shoe – the mingling and singing between the Aussie and Swarmi Armies, and the reaction to the shoving matches and bootlegged grog that led to those guilty parties being ejected from the ground by the security guards.

The cherry on the cake? The appearance of some of the finest beer cup snakes going around. Checkout the photos and have a look for yourself.

It also proved that, once again, if there’s a freebie going, I’m going to grab it. Needless to say, I am not short of Sports Radios, lanyards, headbands, sunglasses and pink bandanas. Not to mention cameras. And video tents…

If you’ve never been to a test match, you really should get to one. It’s a great day out if you love your cricket.

by ]]>http://bigdanonline.com/my-life/big-dans-excellent-adventures-in-sydney/feed/0The worst of the worst: Razzies 2014 nominees are out!http://bigdanonline.com/entertainment/the-worst-of-the-worst-razzies-2014-nominees-are-out/
http://bigdanonline.com/entertainment/the-worst-of-the-worst-razzies-2014-nominees-are-out/#respondSun, 04 Jan 2015 07:40:15 +0000http://bigdanonline.com/?p=161As an avid movie fan, I love the day when the Razzie Award nominations come out. For those who don’t know what they are, the Razzies are the opposite of the Oscars – the worst in movies for the previous year. Source is news.com.au.

Here’s the categories and the nominations for each, along with my pick (in bold)!

You can use the comment features below or tweet me at @jetknightman and let me know if you think I’m right. Or wrong. Or cross-eyed.

WORST PICTURE

SAVING CHRISTMAS

TRANSCENDENCE

A MILLION WAYS to DIE in the WEST

ATLAS SHRUGGED: WHO IS JOHN GALT?

LEGEND of HERCULES

SEX TAPE

A HAUNTED HOUSE #2

TEEN-AGED MUTANT NINJA TURTLES – why was this even remade? Especially when one was released only a few years ago?

Welcome to my new blog! I’m working on getting the rest of my domains porting across here, but for now, you can access the blog from its new domain name at bigdanonline.com. I’ve also imported my old blog posts, and about to shut that site down. So excuse the mess, I’m in the middle of renovations, and all that jazz. Stay tuned!